Beverages | Leigh Anne Wilkes | Family Friendly Drink Recipes

Halloween Hot Chocolate

Leigh Anne Wilkes — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 09:00:00 +0000

Halloween Hot Chocolate is a fun and festive way to enjoy a mug of delicious hot cocoa with a Halloween twist.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Perfect way to warm up! After a chilly night trick or treating, nothing is better than a cup of hot chocolate. Halloween Hot Chocolate is sure to be a total hit at any Halloween party or to warm up those trick or treaters when they come home.

Get creative. The possibilities are pretty endless. Just add in some food coloring (or leave it white), top it with some whipped cream or mini marshmallows and then add on some edible candy eyes, candy corn or a gummy work! See how many different combinations you can cup up or let the kid’s create their own combinations.

Ingredients Needed

Milk. I prefer to use whole milk for the creamiest hot chocolate.
White Chocolate Chips. Use a good quality chocolate for the best taste.
Vanilla Extract
Whipped Cream
Food Coloring
Toppings: Halloween Sprinkles, candy corn, mini marshmallows

How to Make Halloween Hot Chocolate

Pour milk into medium saucepan.
Warm milk on stovetop until bubbles form around the edges. Do not allow it to boil.
Add in chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract and food coloring of choice. Whisk to combine.

Garnish as desired. Those edible googly eyes are the perfect way to top off the whipped cream and so easy to make at home.

Another fun variation is adding orange food coloring, whipped cream, yellow sprinkles and a few candy corn. This one is for all your candy corn lovers.

Add in whatever color of food coloring you want, and create a fun, festive and delicious Halloween hot chocolate!

Tips from leigh Anne

Always heat your milk low and slow, don ‘t let it come to a boil. It is ok to just let small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
Stir or whisk the milk before pouring it into a mug. The white chocolate will separate out a bit but stirring will recombine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate?

Homemade Eggnog

Leigh Anne Wilkes — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:24:00 +0000

You’ll never buy eggnog at the store again after you see how easy it is to make your own delicious homemade eggnog recipe!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Eggnog is the drink of the season. I am always excited to see egg nog hit the shelves at the grocery store after Halloween along with all the rest of the Christmas decorations! Eggnog is basically a drink that is made of eggs, sugar, milk, cream, nutmeg and sometimes rum, whiskey, brandy or bourbon. I don’t drink alcohol so don’t use any in my egg nog.

Texture and Flavor of this eggnog is perfection. I am a bit of an eggnog snob. It is delicious and the right consistency, both served warm and cold. I prefer my eggnog fairly thin, thicker than milk but not too thick. This recipe is as good if not better than any store-bought eggnog.

Quick and Easy. This version comes together quick, in just about five minutes and you probably have all the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients Needed:

Egg Yolks
Whole Milk
Heavy Whipping Cream
Granulated Sugar
Ground Nutmeg or Ground Cinnamon
Salt

How To Make Homemade Eggnog

Heat your milk and cream to 115-120 degrees F in saucepan on the stove top. Don’t let it to come to a boil.
In a stand mixer or a medium size bowl and an electric hand mixer, beat your egg yolks until they are the color of a lemon and slightly thickened.
“Temper” your eggs by pouring about 1 cup of the heated milk into your egg mixture. Be sure and stir constantly. You don’t want your hot milk mixture to start cooking your eggs. If you do get some bits of cooked egg, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
Pour this egg/milk mixture into the remaining heated milk and whisk to combine milk mixture.
Add in sugar, nutmeg and salt and heat on stove until it reaches 160 degrees F. This it the temperature it needs to get to to make sure the raw egg are safe to consume. Use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer to check the temperature.

Tips For The Best Egg Nog:

You can adjust the sweetness level of the eggnog to make it more or less sweet by increasing or decreasing the amount of sugar.
For thicker eggnog, increase the amount of heavy cream and reduce the milk by equal proportion.

How to Serve Homemade Egg Nog

Eggnog can be enjoyed warm or chilled.
Top with some whipped cream if desired.
Sprinkle with ground nutmeg or a sprinkle of cinnamon before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will homemade egg nog last?

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

Leigh Anne Wilkes — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate is definitely my favorite hot beverage. Making it and keeping it warm in the crock pot makes it easy and delicious and the perfect way to feed a crowd.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

I am a little particular about how I like my hot cocoa. It must be sweet. I’m not a bit fan of the bittersweet hot chocolate or using super fancy European chocolates. Regular old baking cocoa is what I prefer. Also, I don’t like my hot chocolate super thick, like the European sipping chocolates, except if I’m in Europe! Today I am sharing with you my go to crockpot hot chocolate recipe and the one that gets rave reviews every time I serve it. Just grab yourself a mug!

Ingredients Needed

Cocoa Powder, unsweetened.
Sugar
Pinch of salt
Vanilla extract. This is the secret ingredient. Don’t leave it out.
Whole milk. You can use 2 percent but you will get a richer, cramier hot cocoa with whole milk.

Tips from Leigh Anne

We often serve hot chocolate at parties during the Christmas season. It is a required beverage at our annual Breakfast with Santa. I often set up a hot chocolate bar and let everyone add their favorite flavorings and toppings. Making and serving the hot chocolate in the crock pot is the perfect way to make sure everyone’s hot chocolate is nice and warm!
You can mix up the hot chocolate several hours before your party, put it in the crock pot and just let the crock pot keep it warm for you. You won’t have to worry about it again until you are ready to serve it.

How To make Crock Pot hot chocolate

Mix all your ingredients together right in the crockpot.
Set the crockpot on high for one- two hours or until heated through and then turn to low or warm while serving.

Serve this with:

Mini Marshmallows
Sprinkles
Sweetened Whipped Cream
Chopped peppermint candy
Toffee Bits
Mint or Peppermint Extract

We always top our hot chocolate with whipped cream. Now, you can use the stuff that you spray out of the can, but if you want to be extra fancy, make sure to make your own whipped cream.

Flavor Variations

Malted milk powder. It’s like drinking a warm chocolate malt. It’s so delicious! If you are a malt lover give it a try.
Peppermint or Mint Extract.

The next time you have a rainy or snowy cold winter’s day. Put on a pot of hot chocolate, put on a good movie, turn on the fire, grab a blanket and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this on the stove top instead?

Wassail

Leigh Anne Wilkes — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Wassail is the perfect holiday drink and making it in the slow cooker makes it so easy!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This wassail recipe is alcohol free, so friends and family of all ages can enjoy it together. This recipe is full of flavor and has the perfect balance of sweet and spice. No flavor is too overwhelming and it completely tastes like the holidays. The perfect holiday drink for your next gathering.

The most wonderful thing about it is that it’s prepared in the slow cooker and lasts for a few days. How perfect would this be for all your holiday get-togethers?! You just add everything in and turn it on. It only takes a few hours and gets better over time. This could even be made the night before!

Ingredients

Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice
Lemon Juice
Granulated Sugar
Cinnamon
Orange, Thinly Sliced
Fresh Cranberries
Cinnamon Sticks
Whole Cloves

How to Make Wassail

In the Crock Pot

Combine ingredients into a large slow cooker and gently stir to mix.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours before serving or cook overnight and keep it on warm until ready to serve.

On the Stove Top

Combine ingredients in a large pot.
Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium low for 30-45 minutes.

Everything can be purchased ahead of time and makes your house smell amazing as it warms up. A total added bonus as well!

Check out more holiday drinks recipes:

For all of my other favorite kitchen products and tools visit my Amazon Store.

Did you know I wrote a cookbook? Check out the Holiday Slow Cooker Cookbook for 100 delicious recipes.

Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.

Wassail Recipe

Delicious wassail, perfect for celebrating the holidays, that can be made in a slow cooker or on your stove top.

Course Beverage

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Total Time 6 5

Servings servings

Calories 124kcal

Author Leigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

1 Quart Apple Juice
1 Quart Orange Juice
2 Cups Cranberry Juice
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Orange Thinly Sliced
2 Cup Fresh Cranberries
3-4 Cinnamon Sticks
2 tsp Whole Cloves

Instructions

Crock Pot Directions

Place ingredients nto a large slow cooker and gently stir to mix.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours before serving or cook overnight and keep it on warm until ready to serve.

Stove Top Directions

Place ingredients into a large pot and gently stir to mix.
Bring wassail to a boil and then simmer on medium low heat for 30-45 minutes.

Notes

Recipe shared by Amy from My Name is Snickerdoodle.

Nutrition

Continue reading Wassail. This post is from Your Homebased Mom. If you are not reading it from our feed, it has been STOLEN. Please contact Leigh Anne Wilkes to let us know. Enjoy the posts.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Leigh Anne Wilkes — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Frozen Hot Chocolate is the perfect summertime treat. Icy double chocolate goodness topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

I first discovered frozen hot chocolate in New York City at the famous Serendipity Restaurant. I think I planned our whole New York trip around visiting that restaurant to try it. It totally lived up to it’s hype!

The great thing is, there is no trip to NYC necessary though in order to enjoy this delicious icy chocolate treat. You can make it at home with just five ingredients and about five minutes! The only other thing you need is a blender.

Ingredients Needed

Chocolate Chips. I used semi sweet but you could use milk chocolate if you prefer. You can also use chopped up chocolate rather than chips.
Milk. I usually use 2 percent but you could use whole milk or 1 percent if you prefer. Use chocolate milk for even more chocolate goodness.
Hot Cocoa Mix. Use your favorite brand. I used Nestle.
Sugar
Ice

How to Make Frozen Hot Chocolate

Melt the chocolate in the microwave,
Stir in sugar, cocoa mix and 1/2 cup of milk.

After it cools add in the rest of the milk and put it into your blender along with the ice.
Pulse a few times and you have magic!

How to Serve

We love to top it with some whipped cream and sprinkles! You can also add a cherry if you like. If you want to make your own whipped cream, here is how I do it.

It is the perfect treat for a 90 degree day or any day really! No need for a trip to NYC when you’ve got this great recipe for making it right at home!

Beverages | Leigh Anne Wilkes | Family Friendly Drink Recipes

Halloween Hot Chocolate

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Ingredients Needed

How to Make Halloween Hot Chocolate

Tips from leigh Anne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate?

Homemade Eggnog

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

How To Make Homemade Eggnog

Tips For The Best Egg Nog:

How to Serve Homemade Egg Nog

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will homemade egg nog last?

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Ingredients Needed

Tips from Leigh Anne

How To make Crock Pot hot chocolate

Serve this with:

Flavor Variations

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this on the stove top instead?

Wassail

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ingredients

How to Make Wassail

Wassail Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Crock Pot Directions

Stove Top Directions

Notes

Nutrition

Frozen Hot Chocolate

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Ingredients Needed

How to Make Frozen Hot Chocolate

How to Serve

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store leftovers?